


You're Not Indestructible, Kara

by LaityAshes



Series: Here’s to the Danvers Sisters. We should come with a warning. [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Blood, Fight Scene, Focus is on Kara and Alex as sisters, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kara and Alex fluff, Major Character Injury, Minor Karamel moments, Sister-Sister Relationship, Sisters, family love, open compound fracture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2018-10-12 19:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10497690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaityAshes/pseuds/LaityAshes
Summary: Come on, come on, Alex thought with bated breath cataloging every noise she could make out from Kara’s comm. She listened intently trying to hold onto whatever she could—trying to hold on to her sister. She didn’t have a visual anymore, so she clung to what she could hear instead.Kara fights a rogue alien wanting to cause mayhem in the National City. An alien that can penetrate Kara's kryptonian skin. Sister fluff.





	1. The Pruydakh

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot, but I have interview tomorrow. Thus, I need to go to bed early as it's like a three hour drive to my interview. So sorry it's not long or complete. Also, I wanted to post what I have done though to see what people's thoughts were. Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> When I first started watching Supergirl, it bugged me that Kara would be fine after she was slammed to the ground by Non, as I remember from the cartoons growing up there were some opponents that gave Superman a run for his money, without using kryptonite. As a kid, I assumed they did not show blood in the cartoon because it was meant for elementary school kids. This is sort of correct, as Superman does bleed when he faces Doomsday. Plus, it seems more realistic to me that Kryptonians can bleed if they are hit with the right amount of pressure. So this fiction incorporates this idea to use as a device to write a Danvers sister bonding/moment fanfiction. I miss those moments in the show where it centered on Alex and Kara's sisterly bond, so I fill my heart by writing scenes myself.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: https://laityashes.tumblr.com/

_Come on, come on_ , Alex thought with bated breath cataloging every noise she could make out from Kara's comm. She listened intently trying to hold onto whatever she could—trying to hold on to her sister. She didn't have a visual anymore, so she clung to what she heard instead. It was all Alex could do to quell the helplessness gnawing in her stomach. Her bones ached with suspense and powerlessness.

 _Kara, you got this! You got this,_ thought Alex trying to soothe the panic in her veins.

The DEO was on their way. Kara just needed to last a little bit longer.

* * *

Blood dripped down Kara’s face. She sported a deep gash near her hairline. The gash bled profusely leaving a red stream ending at her chin. The red liquid threatened to spill into the hairs of her eyebrow. Her knuckles were coated in blood. Her own red blood. To Kara, it was always a surreal seeing her own blood. Kara could feel the liquid by her eyebrow charting a path toward her left eye, and if she couldn’t get space between her and the rogue alien so that she could wipe it away, she’d have to close her left eye.

They all assumed it would be an easy takedown like most alien takedowns were. It was a surprise to everyone, Kara and the DEO, after punching the alien hard, her knuckles had started bleeding. Winn, from that, and the appearance, identified the alien species as a Pruydakh.

Suddenly, seeing another attack incoming, Kara leaped into the air dodging the alien’s giant hands trying to grab her again. She took a moment while airborne to use her arm to wipe the blood, near her eye, on her sleeve. She used her heat vision hoping it would have some effect on him. The alien gave a grunt as if it was just an irritating feeling for him.

The Pruydakh’s skin was gray and wrinkled, much like an elephant, but the texture was abrasive. It was very gritty and could rip layers of skin from Kara’s Kryptonian skin. Her bleeding knuckles showed as much. On top of that, the alien had a massive amount of super strength, enough to leave Kara with that bleeding head wound from when he had grabbed her cape and slammed her down into the cement roadway.

Alex had said once that she was not Indestructible and she was right. The Girl of Steel of was not completely invincible. An alien with a good amount of super strength, if they hit her hard enough, could make her bleed, cause bruising, and break her bones. The same was to be said about her own super strength—her own super-strength could make her bleed. The Danvers’ family had figured this out first hand when Kara had first started developing her powers and had dug her nails too hard into her palm. At the time, Kara had woken up from a nightmare about her krypton and family, and as she tried to calm herself down, she had dug her nails into her palm. Hard. Way too hard.

The Pruydakh was an immense alien and stood at about eight feet in height. The face had four eyes, and each eye could look in a different direction. The alien’s ears were set low on its snout-like jaw. The ears had an anthropomorphic appearance to them, but the ears had an abundant amount of hair sprouting from the helix. The hair was a dark ginger color. The nose was reminiscent of a snake, being rather tiny slits on its protruding snout mouth.

The Pruydakh opened it jaws and a screeching sound emitted. Not only did Kara’s head pound painfully, but her ears were burning. It was as if the ear canal was on fire. The immense pain and pressure layering her brain were enough for her to lose her loft in the air. Her flight wavered, and soon she was falling. The was sound too much—she saw black spots everywhere. Kara’s hands grasped her head as she fell from the air as if their hold would relieve the pressure.

“Kara!” Alex shouted concerned over the communicator. Unbeknownst to Kara, she had let out screams of pain. Screams Kara, herself, had not heard over the sound emitting from this creature’s throat and mouth.

The alien, taking the opportunity, when she was in reach, nabbed her from the air by one of her legs. That’s when the sound ceased. Kara’s vision cleared, she was hanging upside down, and she could feel the alien’s sandpaper like skin against her leg. Her hair dangled a few inches above the ground. If Kara tried to struggle to get her leg free, she knew layers of skin would rip off. She didn’t have any other options.

“Kara, talk to me! What’s going on?” ordered Alex trying to keep her voice calm. She was concerned, Kara had not responded to her first call of Kara’s name. Kara, in fact, had not heard it over the screeching from the Pruydakh.

“He’s got my leg. Alex, there isn’t any other way.” Kara replied and gritted her teeth. Preparing to struggle against the hand that held her upside down.

“Kara, J’onn is almost there with that tranquilizer. We are almost there too.” Alex stated. Alex knew what Kara was implying she was going to do and steeled herself to hear Kara groan in pain.

Kara jerked her leg, her boot provided no protection, and she felt it disintegrate into shreds. Kara bit her lip as layers of skin was ripped from her calf. An unbidden shriek escaped her lips as the pain ripped through her leg. The stench of iron hit Kara, and she felt liquid running up her leg. It took Kara a few seconds to realize the smell was her blood running up her leg toward her, inverted, skirt. In response to her struggle, the Pruydakh tightened his grip around her leg. After that first jerk of her leg, Supergirl quickly concluded her struggle was futile. The pain limited her strength and made her effort much weaker than it would've been if the alien’s skin wasn’t a weapon itself.

The Pruydakh continued tightening his grip on Kara’s leg. The abrasive skin painfully agitated the wounds that Kara had just created on the said leg in her effort to try to free herself. Not giving up, and terrified of the tightening on her leg, she swung her upper body up trying to deal a hard and solid punch into the alien’s arm.

The action stopped midway as Pruydakh squeezed with all his strength on her leg. All Kara registered was a reverberating cracking. A multitude of cracking. The sound was similar to that of china shattering to pieces. Excruciating pain ripped through her body.

Alex, through her comm, heard the most horrifying scream. Her heart clenched in her chest, and her mouth went unbearably dry. It was a scream Alex doubted she would ever forget. After the scream, came another mixed between a scream and a whimper.

To be continued…


	2. The Pruydakh Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm posting this tonight. I may go back and make revisions as I am not sure how in-character Alex and Kara are. I also want to add more to the end scene in the way of description. In any event, check back tomorrow, or so, and it may have some changes to it. I'm not sure how I feel with how I wrote this chapter, so that is why I'm giving you the heads up.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: https://laityashes.tumblr.com/

* * *

Recap: The action stopped midway as Pruydakh squeezed with all his strength on her leg. All Kara registered was a reverberating cracking. A multitude of cracking. The sound was similar to the sound of china shattering to pieces. Excruciating pain ripped through her body.

Alex, through her com, heard the most horrifying scream. Heart seemed to still from fright in her chest. It was a scream she doubted she would ever forget. After the scream came another one mix between a scream and a whimper.

* * *

 The Pruydakh tossed Supergirl, like a ragdoll, into nearby concrete slabs littering their location; debris he had created in his promenade through National City. With a loud smash, she collided with the large masses; the right side of her body taking the brute of the collision. The impact cracked the slabs, and she fell to the sidewalk onto her stomach. Concrete breakage, from the impact, scattered around her, her vibrant cape was gathered up on the right side of her body, and her arms were splayed out in front of her. However, she never registered the impact. Kara registered nothing except agony radiating from her leg. She felt as if the bone was being torn from her flesh—being ripped from her skin, muscles, and tendons.

The Pruydakh smelled the air, and turned his back toward Supergirl, and focused his attention on the skyscraper in front of him. People scurried away, running in all different directions. The once mundane busy street was now busy with people running for their lives. In the lobby of the skyscraper, past the glass doors, cowered people who had been unable to get out of the building, while Supergirl had him disctrated. A raspy snicker emitted from the Pruydakh as he set his eyes on his next targets. The people in the lobby screamed as the giant alien began making his way toward their direction.

The Screams brought Supergirl to attention, brought her to outward awareness, and she snapped her eyes opens. Dimly, she noted the pavement felt wet underneath her frame, though she pushed the observation aside as more screams echoed around her. Screams of the citizens. Citizens she was trying to protect. Attempting to push through the pain, she struggled to lift her torso up off the ground. She propped herself up with her arms, and scanned the scene. Black spots speckled her sight, furrowing her brow she fought off the darkness. She quickly located the Pruydakh, and found him approaching the civilians cornered in the lobby of the skyscraper.

 _You can do this, Supergirl!_ Kara chanted in her head before taking a deep breath—preparing to rollover onto her right side. A pained cry tore from her lips as she adjusted her position on the ground for maximum visibility. With her arms still holding herself up, she took aim, and hit the Pruydakh with her heat vision.

The beam hit him in the back of the neck, and a pained roar erupted from the Pruydakh. Kara was inwardly pleased that she finally did some damage to the Pruydakh. When she ceased her assault with her heat vision, like Kara had hoped, the Pruydakh sharply spun around and faced her. His attention was diverted. The civilians, taking the opportunity Kara had given them, sprinted for their lives out the main doors, or through other feasible exits.

Kara’s heart raced in her chest. Dread coiled in her stomach. She had planned on this happening. She was a distraction so they could escape, but her plan had ended there. She had not thought it all the way through.

The Pruydakh cumbersomely trekked his way toward the blonde Kryptonian.

Desperately, she tried to force her legs to stand, to move, to do something. Only her right leg complied. Kara didn’t dare look at her left leg, she was too afraid of what she might see. The attempt to move the said leg, resulted in a pained cry ripping through her throat, followed by whimpers and gasps. Something wet fell onto Kara’s hand. Unbeknownst to Kara, tears had been racing down her cheeks since the moment the Pruydakh had crushed her leg.

 _Why isn’t my leg starting to heal yet?_ Kara thought frustrated, before pushing the thought aside and focusing on the problem at hand.

Kara hoped that she could fly from her current position, she had never attempted to fly without jumping, or hopping, up into the air first. In her predicament, there was no way she could jump into the air. Consequently, in desperation, she directed her attention attempting to float off the ground—no luck. On top of that, her adrenaline was finally wearing off, she couldn’t concentrate past the pain that was flooding her senses. She felt so tired and exhausted. Her vision was blurring, black dotted her vision, and her arms trembled as they held herself up _._

Kara reached to her ear and activated her communication device, forcing her left arm to hold all her weight, “J’onn—i-it’s bad—”

“Supergirl, my, how I have heard great things about you,” interrupted a raspy deep voice. The Pruydakh race spoke from the throat, and the throat also controlled the formation of words. The only time a Pruydakh opened their mouths was to eat, or to amplify the sound they could emit. The sight of the giant alien speaking without ever opening its mouth was spine-chilling

She turned her attention to the sound, and found the Pruydakh standing over her. Staring up at the alien, Kara’s face, for a moment, was painted with unaltered fear, before she quickly put on a brave face.

Despite her predicament, as you would think her adrenaline would kick back in, Kara felt herself starting to lose the battle for consciousness, her vision was out of focus, and she could make out the Pruydakh raising his arm as if bash her into the cement. With the amount of strength, the Pruydakh had, the action would be surely be painful. Kara steeled herself and watched as the arm started to descend—

Out of nowhere, in the air, Kara saw a green streak.

_J’onn_

Returning her attention back to the Pruydakh, she found nothing standing over her. J’onn had drawn it away from her without her noticing. Kara’s muscles involuntarily relaxed, the tautness evaporated, as she realized that she was safe. Giving into her body’s demands, Kara gently laid down, and her arms thanked her for it. When she laid herself down, she splayed her left arm out and used it to rest her head on. Her right arm dangled limply across her stomach. Kara closed her eyes—they were so heavy---to rest them for a minute.

* * *

Alex arrived on the scene a few seconds after J’onn. She immediately set out to locating her sister. The sounds of her sister’s screams, hauntingly, echoed in her head.

It didn’t take her long to find Kara. Alex ran to Kara’s prone form the minute her eye caught sight of the red and blue uniform. She kneeled next to her baby sister, ignoring the blood that painted the ground, and gathered Kara’s head in her hands. One of Alex’s hands searched for pulse and the other gently cupped Kara’s cheek and brushed away tears. 

“Kara, Kara, Kara! I need you to open your eyes!” Alex ordered, desperation in her voice. Fear laced into her veins worried that Kara may not open her eyes.

Kara’s eyes fluttered open, “Alex…”

“Hey,” Alex replied. Her tone was soft, a relieved smile graced her features, and her head was tilted gently to the side. Her pounding heart quieted.

“My leg isn’t healing,” murmured Kara, pain laced into every word.

 Kara started to shut her eyes again feeling safe, knowing her sister would take care of her. Alex always took care of her. She distantly heard Alex calling her name again, and she opened her eyes once more. Alex was patting her cheek trying to wake her up.

 “Kara, listen, I need you to focus on my voice. You need to stay awake, Kara. Can you try to do that for me?” Asked Alex her voice gentle and soothing, yet stern.

Kara nodded her head weakly in Alex’s hands. Alex maneuvered herself so Kara’s head could rest on lap, and guided Kara’s head to rest on her thigh. She then ran a hand through Kara’s hair soothingly.

Alex turned her gaze to Kara's leg, and she felt her stomach turn. If she was squeamish person, she would have hurled right then. Kara's leg was a bloody mess. The appendage was mutilated. Alex believed she could even see bone jutting out, in more than one place, from Kara's leg, but she wasn't sure because of all the red. The sight was gruesome, and so the rest is best left up to your imagination.

"Agent down. I need a medevac, now!" ordered Alex into her comm. Her tone was feigned with calmness, only portraying a slight hint of her worry or panic.


	3. Interim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I edited and added to chapter 3!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, 
> 
> I just finished writing this chapter. I still need to review it and etc, so please do not mind my grammar. I will be editing it in a few days if i find i am not satisfied with it. Sorry, it took so long. I got discouraged about my writing after the darkside of the Supergirl fandom made fun of my piece I had done for a Karamel prompt sent to me on tumblr. I have edited this chapter and made some changes that made more sense.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: https://laityashes.tumblr.com/

The DEO had transported Kara on a stretcher and flown her to headquarters. There, she was immediately taken to the nearest medical examination room. Alex was by Kara’s side the entire time.

In the medical room, Kara laid supine on a metal examination table, chest rising and falling in a methodical manner. Her golden hair was draped over one shoulder. Kara’s skin was pale under the fluorescent lights, and her lips were ashen in color. Kara had remained unconscious after Alex had found her on the street. In some ways, her being unconscious was a blessing in disguise. The medical staff, and Dr. Hamilton, could perform the procedures faster with Kara unconscious. Kara wasn’t always the best patient.

When she was brought in, the first procedure they did was disinfect Kara’s wounds. Kara had undergone X-rays, an MRI scan, and blood transfusion. They had determined that part of the reason Kara passed out was a result of blood loss, the other being from the sheer pain.  For the blood transfusion, they used blood from Kara’s own personal DEO blood storage, something Alex never thought they would have to use. Alex had designed the meager storage unit as a precautionary measure, and she never thought they would ever have to break into Kara’s storage unit. In fact, Alex’s design and intention, with the blood storage units, had not been for Kara at all. The DEO contained blood storage units for all the aliens on the DEO’s national registry. If anything happened, the law-abiding aliens could show up at the DEO and be taken care. Aliens, also, needed checkups every now and then, and the DEO gave refugee aliens medical check-ups. The DEO was about the only place in the nation such a resource, like medical care for aliens, could be available, and from these checkups, it helped the DEO learn more about each alien species. It was a win-win situation. More importantly, it helped recruit students in medical school who wanted to learn how to expand their knowledge to provide care for aliens. Effectively, this was baby steps to aliens, perhaps, someday being more integrated into society. She had designed one for Kara simply because it was proper since Kara, being an alien and all, could never go to a hospital.

Right now, though, Alex was just thankful she had made Kara give blood for her own personal storage unit. Kara was hooked up to all sorts of machines. She was hooked up to an ICU monitor, and a steady pattern of beeping sounded as it tracked Kara’s heartbeat. Wires were tacked to her head to monitor her brain waves. She had an IV bag hooked to her arm. Kara had been cleaned up—most of the blood had been wiped away from her skin. Alex had aided with cleaning Kara up. Alex didn’t want her sister to wake up to still being covered in her own blood, so she made sure almost every inch of her sister was clean from the red fluid.

The scans they had performed on Kara, and cleaning her up, revealed the bone in her leg only broke through the skin in one spot. Originally, Alex had thought there had been multiple exit wounds where the bone punctured through Kara’s skin. However, once Kara was cleaned up, it was clear that Kara only had one compound fracture wound where bone had broken through the skin. The medical staff at the DEO had attempted to use the solar emitters to recharge Kara cells, but Kara’s leg refused to heal. They weren’t sure what was preventing her leg from healing. The lacerations Kara had sustained in the fight had healed under the solar emitters. Eventually, they concluded that they needed to re-set Kara’s leg. Their theory was that the bone needing to be rest was why Kara’s leg refused to heal. The bone could not just snap itself back into place.

Nevertheless, that wasn’t all their problems involving the fracturing in Kara’s Leg. The x-rays revealed that Kara’s tibia and fibula were shattered in certain places. Kara, literally, had bits, and shards, of bone that had embed itself in her muscle. The medical team was uncertain if the bones shards would respond after they reset the bone in the open compound fracture. Despite that, the bone shards were not as a priority as compared to closing the open compound fracture.

At the moment, Mon-el and Alex were the only people in Kara’s room. In a chair, close to the examination table, was Mon-el. His hair was a mess, tousled from nervously running his hands through it. His face was etched with worry, and his eyes had this sad glimmer to them. His eyebrows were drawn upward on his brow, painting his face with a heart-breaking expression.  Mon-el’s hand applied constant pressure to a towel on Kara’s leg. the towel and the pressure he exerted was to quench the bleeding where the fractured bone had ripped through her skin. His other hand was intertwined with Kara’s. The towel was practically soaked through with blood. The room had a stench like iron—the room smelled of blood.

It was a big understatement to say they needed to quickly close the wound on Kara’s leg. They couldn’t re-set the bone with the equipment they had right now, if Kryptonian skin was tough to break, Kryptonian bone was even tougher. They would need to use kryptonite to weaken Kara, or put her under red solar emitters. Winn, J'onn, and anyone else that could help were at work trying to replicate red solar waves. It was deemed too risky to use kryptonite for the procedure of resetting Kara’s leg.

Alex paced about the room nervously and anxiously. She stopped for a moment and faced Mon-el. “I’m going to check on the progress of the red solar emitter,” she said, and made her way to the door of Kara’s room. Alex headed in the direction of where Winn and the current project was being worked on. You would think that putting a red filter on Kara’s solar emitters would be simple. In fact, it wasn’t as simple as putting a red filter on. The solar rays had to be just right to imitate a red sun. They had tried the red color filter and it had done nothing to Kara.

Alex stood and watched from the threshold of the Tech-Lab, in the DEO headquarters, as DEO agents raced around and gathered information from any logs they had about red solar radiation. She leaned on the doorpost of the threshold, as she peeked at the progress of the machine that could help, and save, her sister. She truly felt helpless for the first time in years. The feeling gripped her and her stomach felt queasy.

_I can’t do anything. There’s nothing I can do. She’s in Winn’s hands now._

Alex was never good at waiting. She was never good at doing nothing, especially when she knew Kara needed her. Right now, though, she was exactly in that situation. Her skills couldn’t assist in replication of red solar waves. It wasn’t like a chemical compound substance like kryptonite. Her sister could bleed out on that medical table and she couldn’t do much to stop it. She didn’t have the tech skills to help her little sister. Anxiety was painted on her face as she watched agents run simulations and weld parts together.

J’onn seeing Alex by the entryway, unfolded his arms and stop overseeing the project. He calmly strode to Alex. Her brow was wrinkled with worry and her eyes mirrored her face. Her eyes were lost. She was lost, lost in interim of tasks with nothing to keep her busy.

“Alex, she’ll pull through,” J’onn said and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“yeah,” Alex said unconvincingly. She looked down and fiddled with her hands.

This was a complex situation. They didn’t know how much blood Kara could lose without her body shutting down. They didn’t know much about Kara in this situation. They were in new territory. Heck, Alex wasn’t even sure if Kara was immune to human infections—her injuries have never been exposed to the air this long. On top of that, this wasn’t any ordinary wound—Her fractured Tibia had torn through her skin. Tron through so many layers of skin. There was so many variables about Kara’s biology.

They were fortunate to have the hologram of Alura from Kara’s pod. Alura offered substantial amount of information in regards to Kryptonian medical physicality. There were still variables though with the information since the data pertained to a Kryptonian under red sunlight and not enhanced by the yellow solar emissions.     

J’onn turned Alex away from the project and walked her towards the waiting room of the medical bay.

“Alex, I promised to keep you and Kara safe. We’ll get her patched up,” J’onn said gently as motioned for Alex to sit on one of the benches, and sat next her.

Alex was hunched over on the bench her hands clasped in front of her face. Her posture was the picture of worry. J’onn placed a hand on her back trying to comfort the older sister.

“Why don’t you call Maggie,” suggested J’onn, “we may need her help with the solar emitter.”

Alex couldn’t fight the grin that made itself to her face. Her grin was hidden beneath her clasped hands and had gone unseen by J’onn. He saw the crinkle of her eyes, though, after he said that and knew beneath her hands a smile had graced her lips. She had caught onto his ploy.

 J’onn was sneaky, and Alex saw right through him. Maggie, the one that teased her about being a nerd, couldn’t help with the solar emitter. J’onn had said that so Maggie could come down here to be with her and Kara. He wanted Alex to call the NCPD and request Maggie for DEO business. The request would pull Maggie from her current shift and have her stationed at the DEO for the time being.

As J’onn got up to go back towards the room where Winn and the others were working on the red solar emitter, he put his hand on her shoulder again and squeezed reassuringly. J’onn, turned his face to her as he started to head in that direction, “That’s an order agent.”

Alex immediately set out to do as ordered by the DEO Director. When she checked her phone, to her surprise, she found numerous texts from Maggie on her phone, Alex had been too busy with Kara to check her phone before this. Apparently, according to Maggie, the fight between Supergirl and the Pruydakh had been televised. Maggie had inquired about Kara’s well being.

Alex shot her a brief text: **It’s not good.** **The alien is locked up. Kara was rushed to the ICU unit.** She almost hit send, though at the last minute added, to the end, **I need you**.

Once the text was sent, she called up the NCPD and gave the chief of police the orders by the director. The liaison system, or partnership, the DEO had created with the NCPD, since it became more public, was a useful resource on different cases. Thus, a request for a consultant was not unusual for the DEO to ask of the NCPD. Usually, the consultant was visited in NCPD office, or contacted over the phone. The chief of police, thought nothing of it though, and Maggie was going to be ‘assisting’ the DEO on important business for the next few days.  

* * *

Mon-el’s heart had pounded in his chest when he saw Kara wheeled into the DEO on a stretcher. The image was permanently burned into his mind. When Mon-el saw her, there had been so much blood, and the Girl of Steel even had an oxygen mask strapped to her face. His stomach had tied itself into several knots at the sight. At the time, Mon-el was a frenzy of anxiety for the women he loved. This was the woman who had taught him how to be a good man. The woman that made him see that he had been an ass. Even after the mutilated flesh of her leg healed up, it had done nothing to quiet his nerves. Mon-el knew Kara was not out of the woods yet.

“Hang in there, Kara. Winn is working on that red sunlight emitter,” Mon-el said.

He removed the towel from ‘open compound fracture,’ as Alex had termed it; the towel was saturated with blood. He dropped it onto the floor--the towel hit the ground with a soggy and saturated smack. Mon-el disentangled his fingers from Kara’s and grabbed a clean towel from the stack that laid next to Kara’s thigh on the medical table. Mon-el didn’t, not for even a second, allow himself look at the wound uncovered by the towel, when he first saw Kara’s shin he had hurled the contents of his stomach into the nearest trash can.

He pressed the clean white towel onto the wound while he fastened his gaze on Kara’s pale face. He pressed on the wound, applying pressure to it. It was only after he had covered the open compound fracture on her leg with the towel did he let himself look near the vicinity of the wound, or at the towel. The white towel was immediately painted in red from the fluids leaking from the open fracture. Kara was currently set up with an IV bag that was attempting to replace any blood that was leaving her body.

“Kara, I know you’ll get through this.” Mon-el said gently, his voice flavored with sadness. He, more or less, said it to reassure himself.

“When you wake up, I’ll be right here,” he said remembering her sweet, and kind, voice saying the same words to him while he was comatose. Minutes passed by painfully slow, and Mon-el continued to talk to Kara. He talked about anything really. He hoped she could hear him, even though she wasn’t in a coma like he had been.

Abruptly, Winn barged into the room, and exclaimed, “We did it! It’s done!”

Winn held the door open and signaled for the emitter to enter the room. The red solar emitter was wheeled into the room, and the medical staff rushed in afterward.

The machine was maneuvered over Kara and Mon-el was pushed out of the room. From the window, he could see the medical staff turn the machine, pick up a scalpel, and pressed it gently to Kara’s hand. The person holding the scalpel applied just enough pressure until he saw blood start to spring from Kara’s skin. It worked. The red solar emitters worked this time. Winn had done it.

There was no time to celebrate though, Winn and the other techs were pushed out of the room, and the medical team set to work at resetting Kara’s Leg.

Mon-el looked to his right and found Alex standing right next to him looking out the window into Kara’s room. He hadn’t even heard her approach. Her eyes were fixed on Kara; they were unwavering and her face was stoic. Though, her eyes shimmered with worry and seemed to hold a storm of emotion.

Alex wished more than anything that she could hold her sister’s hand through this. She hypothesized that Kara was going feel this.

Without warning, a loud crack resonated as the medical team re-set Kara’s bone. The crunching sound made Mon-el flinch, and, boy, was he glad he hadn’t been watching when the doctors had snapped Kara’s bone back into place.

Alex, on the other hand, hadn’t even flinched at the sound. She had observed intently taking stock of the procedures and calculating the reactions of Kara’s body on the monitor. She was the most versed in Kara’s capabilities and she cataloged in her head how Kara reacted to the procedure.

Kara had felt definitely that. Her heart rate had spiked when the doctors had snapped her bone back into place, yet she remained unconscious still. Alex was sure she saw Doctor Hamilton inject Kara something before the procedure, and if she had to guess it was probably something to keep Kara knocked out while they reset her tibia.

The medical team maneuvered the yellow solar emitters over Kara’s still form. They monitored the readings on the various machines Kara was hooked up to and took down notes.

 _Right now, all we can do is hope for the best. We have to hope Kara’s bones will repair themselves,_ thought Alex.


	4. Consciousness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took so long to update! Life is distracting. The story is almost done. Just one or two more chapters to write. I wanted to post this tonight, so I don't sit with it for a while. I wanted this to be the last chapter, but I'm sure ya'll prefer an update now, rather than later.

The solar lamps, instead of blanketing Kara in their rays, were shut off, moved away from Kara’s form, and sat on the far side of the room. Kara, motionless, laid on the steel table, Supergirl’s special steel table as it had been dubbed.

Her eyes were shut, and discomfort was etched across her visage. She still required the solar radiation for safe measure for her Kryptonian Physiology. The lamps, despite the DEO’s resources, could only be on for a certain amount of time before they would overheat, and the lamps had reached their time limit; thus, their current residence on the far side of the room.

Gently, Alex stroked Kara’s hair; brown eyes gripped by the surreal stillness of her sister. Her fingers, as they ran through the soft blonde tresses, gently stroked the alien’s forehead as she broke the threshold between skin and hairline. Kara’s skin was smooth underneath the pads of her fingers, as it always was, the benefit of never having acne thanks to her alien biology. Kara’s skin was warm to the touch, placating Alex’s worries. Kara’s skin, hours before, in contrast, had been the damp and chilly when Alex had located Kara on the sidewalk. By Alex’s assessment, from the sedative they had given Kara, she would be awakening soon. Supplemental confirmation was added by the crinkle of her sister’s brow and the grimaced expressions marring her features every so often.

Kara’s injuries had healed, there were no exit wounds, no more rivers of blood. The danger of exsanguination had passed. For maximum solar regeneration, they had stripped Kara down to her sports bra and bike shorts that she wore underneath her Supergirl attire. Pallor had returned to her face—her cheeks were a light rosy color, and she lacked the pale coloration that had painted her figure a few hours prior. Her skin, from the solar lamps, was almost radiant again.

A weight felt like it had been lifted off Alex’s shoulders. She didn’t need to worry about the quantity of blood left in Kara’s supply storage. They had had enough; they had saved up enough over time to give Kara the transfusions she desperately needed today. Alex had been prepared to call in Superman as a last ditched effort if they came close to running out. She almost had, but Kara began to stabilize just as they were reaching the last two bags in her storage unit.

Alex stopped combing her fingers through Kara’s hair, and gently felt Kara’s shin, trying to feel for any uneven skin. She felt for dips, depressions, slopes—anything to indicate if Kara’s leg was still in the process of patching itself up. Her palm ran over nothing unusual. Kara’s skin was smooth and even.

The area where the Tibia had torn through the skin had healed up well. Layers of skin had regenerated under the solar lamps, and the skin had stitch itself back together. The process had taken six hours for the injury to completely close. Each layer of skin had to be recreated, and the open fracture had been gruesome, so the slow recovery time was to be expected.

Subtly, Kara’s breathing changed, deep slumbering breaths turned into more frequent and light respires.

Abruptly, a moan escaped Kara’s lips.

Alex, upon hearing the sound, maneuvered herself closer to Kara’s torso, preparing to push Kara back down on the metal table if she tried to sit up.

Groggily, Kara’s eyelids opened revealing her azure eyes. She rapidly blinked adjusting to the machinal fluorescent lights of the room. Shapes blurred together for a moment, and she could hear a certain rattling noise close by. She closed her eyes again trying to clear her groggy vision. She could hear doctors, people chewing food, the clicking of computer mice. Disorientated she grew tense, unsure of where she was. The superhero opened her eyes again, her sister came into focus, and Kara locked eyes with her. She stared into glimmering brown eyes; eyes filled with worry and relief. The sight of Alex was comforting, and, most of all, now, she knew where she was. She was at the DEO. Kara’s muscles relaxed against the cool surface of her medical table.  _I’m safe._

“Hey, you,” Alex spoke relieved, her eyes and countenance softening. Her head tilting for fraction of second, and she planted a quick kiss on Kara’s forehead.

 “Hi,” Kara said with a weak, and somewhat airy, voice. Kara lifted her hand slightly off the table in accordance with her greeting.

“How are you feeling?” Alex asked.

“Uncomfortable, can the DEO invest in a bed? This table is awful,” Kara replied her voice straining, and her back teeth clenching together—depressions forming on the back of her jaw. Her tone feigning cheerfulness.

 “You’re deflecting,” Alex chided and poked her sister’s forehead lightly. “Your face clearly says you’re in pain.” Alex put her hands on her hips, and arched an eyebrow, “Now, we can do this the hard way, or you could just tell me where it hurts?”

Kara choked down a pained cry forming in her throat, with gritted teeth, she grounded out, “my leg,” she swallowed, “something isn’t right.” Kara in confirmation tried to move it, and a pained yelped tore through her mouth, and the leg barely moved more than a few centimeters.  The blonde had her hands balled into fists at her side, trying to resist the urge to clench the table as an attempted method in alleviating her pain.

Seeing Kara’s obvious discomfort, Alex hastily pressed the call button on Kara’s heart monitors. _This isn’t good._ Alex, in her mind, raced through the options of what could be the possible complications.

_Her leg should have healed. Could the alien have deactivated her powers somehow? No—her skin patched up, so whatever it is—_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kara’s face fighting off a whimper, the sight pulled Alex out of her thoughts. A shaky sound emitted from the superhero, and Alex’s heart clenched as tears gathered in Kara’s eyes.

Alex directed her attention fully on her sister again, her hand taking a hold of Supergirl’s bicep, “Hey, hey, I’m right here, you’re going to be okay,” Alex said as she began to caress Kara’s hair again, with her other hand, trying to provide some comfort.

* * *

 They ran numerous tests on Kara. They had restricted Alex from following her sister into the X-ray room. She was currently restricted to the technician observation area as the x-ray machine, an elevated flat piece of machinery connected to the table Kara was currently residing on, ran a purple light over her leg repeatedly.

Alex could make out tears glistening, and streaming, down her sister’s face through their glass observatory station.

 

 

> _“We can put you under for the tests? You won’t be in as much pain?” Alex inquired and rested her hand on top of Kara’s balled up fist. Her sister’s knuckles were white, and Alex was beginning to fear her sister would break skin with her own nails._
> 
> _“No, I don’t want to sleep anymore,” Kara grounded out. “I’ve slept enough already,” she elaborated a little more._
> 
> _“Kara, are you sure?” Alex asked her head tilting to the side. Her eyes meeting Kara’s teary blue eyes._
> 
> _Kara gave a stubborn nod from her supine position on the metal table. Her brow furrowed in determination. Her lips were set in a firm line as she braced herself from the pain flowing through her nerves._
> 
> _“Okay,” Alex sighed, “but the offer still stands. Anytime during the tests, we can you put under, if the pain becomes too much. Also, if you break through your skin,” Alex said as she patted one of Kara’s fists,” I’m putting you under regardless. The last thing you need is to lose any more blood.”_

“She’s a tough cookie,” came a voice as the door opened behind Alex, startling her and pulling her out of her thoughts. “She takes after her big sister,” the voice continued. Alex knew the voice very well: _J’onn._

The disguised Martian came to a stop beside her, he eyed Kara as the machine performed the last round of X-rays.

“Almost as stubborn, too,” He added.

Ignoring his comment, “did we get the results from the tests?” Alex asked.

“Yes, they all came back negative. They showed nothing abnormal for a Kryptonian,” Replied J’onn and crossed his arm. The posture was one he assumed when he was worried, or nervous. It was a stance of defense and protection. His dark brows were raised on forehead, and exasperated expression shone in his eyes.

“We’ll see what the X-rays show,” Alex said and turned to face J’onn. “I believe we know what the problem might be since we went through that elimination process,” Alex said, agent mode in full swing. She needed to be clear-headed to help her sister, so she had pushed her emotions to the side just like they were taught in training. She was in full analytical mode and knew she could deal with her emotions once Kara was well again.

“Dr. Hamilton briefed me on the theory you two have come up with,” J’onn affirmed, giving Alex a steady gaze. “I think it’s a good theory, but in either scenario, Kara will have to go through an extensive rehabilitation process.”

“I know. Though it wouldn't be as long as it would for a human, and we aren’t even sure if she would require the physical rehab. She could just heal right up.”


	5. Scans

When Kara had finished the most the recent set of x-rays, Alex, and the doctors on staff, noticed Kara’s injured leg had turned red and purple. The coloration was not on the outer skin of her leg. Alex immediately hooked Kara up to another bag of blood and had raced off to get in contact with Superman. Her little sister was bleeding internally, and despite what they had previously thought, she was again in danger of bleeding out. That is if she had ever left the threat of bleeding out, Alex suspected they were wrong the whole time in thinking Kara was out of the woods for Exsanguination.

With finishing her x-rays, Kara had been moved to a private and more secluded room. The DEO agents even lifted Kara into a medical bed after she had finished with the x-rays. They had given her a bed! Finally, it was about time!

Kara was cozily wrapped in a thin white blanket sheet. The white blanket was untucked and gently draped across the reporter’s frame. She was no longer exposed to the world in only her sports bra and bike shorts. Alex had changed her into more presentable attire. Alex had dressed her in a pair of athletic shorts and a shirt the agent kept as an extra in her locker.

Kara stared at the walls of her room, her breathing was quicker than normal. Chest rising and falling as swells of pain emanated back and forth within her leg. The limb was a cumbersome fixture of agony. And the surges flooding within the limb had her eyes watering. Her eyes watered incessantly. It was unbearable.

In the room’s guest chairs sat Winn and Maggie on watch. Winn talked to Kara nonstop about some topic. On what, Kara had no idea. The raging storm in her leg captivated her senses and was unable to follow the conversation. Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over the blonde. Her stomach churned, the organ quietly flipped, and coiled. A soft groan escaped her lips, unable to maintain her quiet misery. Her mind was a hazy, a fever of pain, as the persistent pain was trailed by the to-and-fro burning swells.

“That’s right, that’s when I—Kara, you don’t look so good,” Winn said as he heard the groan escape the blonde’s lips.

“I don’t feel so great,” Kara replied shakily with an arm wrapped protectively around her stomach.

“Grab the trashcan, Schott,” Maggie uttered as she observed the color draining from the superheroine’s face.

In an instant, Maggie was beside the blonde as she attempted to sit up. The detective wrapped an arm around the Kryptonian’s shoulders and pulled her up. Holding her up. Kara was weak in her grasp, and the detective was sure she was holding up most of Kara’s weight. Kara angled herself to the side of the bed, anxiety painted on her face. The blonde’s hands ran anxiously through her hair, pulling the strands away from her face.

Perspiration beaded on Kara’s forehead, and her skin was clammy. Breathing erratically, the blonde swallowed hard. Maggie was keenly aware of what was coming next.

“Winn, the trashcan, now,” Maggie ordered, and reached out to Winn, trashcan in hand, as he whirled back around towards them.

Maggie pulled the can toward Kara and leveled it just as the reporter started to pitch forward in her arm.

Kara heaved. She heaved hard.

Yellow fluid poured from the blonde’s mouth and into the trashcan held at the side of the bed. In the fluid were chunks of food. Maggie let go of Kara, and grabbed the trashcan with her other hand, steadying it—the weight of what Kara expelled from her body making the can dip when being held by one hand. With a guttural cry, Kara heaved again, her body expelling what was in her stomach. Kara’s body relaxed, no longer tense, and, slowly, Kara leaned back up, righting herself.

“Winn, hold the trashcan,” Maggie called, flying into action again.

Winn’s face scrunched up, accidentally grabbing a part of the rim covered in sick. “Ooough, mannnn,” Winn face contorted like he was about to throw up in his mouth.

With the can out of her hands, Maggie rubbed her hands on her clothes, in case there had been vomit backsplash. Then, the detective gathered up Kara’s honey curls, pulling the tresses away from her face. The ends near her face were slightly coated in the vomit; nonetheless, Maggie diligently gathered the locks into a ponytail and slipped a hair tie from her wrist around the bundle, securing it. The detective stepped back just as Kara started pitching forward again, toward the side of the bed, and in the direction of the trashcan.

Winn moved the can closer to Kara, and another guttural cry tore from the alien along with another heave. The detective rubbed Kara’s back as the fluid started to discharge from her mouth again. Hastily, Maggie jammed the call button on Kara’s bed.

30 seconds later and in a flurry, Dr. Hamilton rushed into the room and followed by technicians.

“Get her the pain relief serum,” Dr. Hamilton called out. Commotion and noise rising level as the medical staff got to work.

A technician rushed to cabinets located in the room, retrieving a syringe. A syringe with a green needle. He tests the clear fluid in the syringe, flicked it, and pushed air out. By the time Maggie looked back at the technician, her attention having been briefly diverted to Kara hurling again, he was jamming the syringe into Kara’s neck. The clear liquid entered her bloodstream quickly. Kara’s stomach settled, the haze cleared, and the pain lessened from her body. Maggie slowly helped the reporter lay back on her bed.

The room had abruptly grown calm after the serum was injected into Kara. Kara was no longer moaning and retching, and the doctors stood still observing the effects. The flurry of noise was gone. Maggie, having helped Kara lay back in bed, gently draped the blanket, having been discarded in Kara’s anxious state before vomiting, over Kara.

Dr. Hamilton broke the relieved silence with: “Her vitals are fine. Typically, nausea follows breaking a bone. Considering she didn’t want the serum, the vomiting is the result of a combination of breaking her leg and her pain level.” Dr. Hamilton patted Kara’s leg, “The serum will make her a little drowsy. However, based on the amount of time she spent under the sunbed recently, if she falls asleep, it should only be for 30 minutes, give or take. That also means the serum will only help with the pain for an hour at most.”

“Oosh, Kryptonian biology. Yikes.” Winn said as he realized how limited treatment was for Kara in terms of pain management.

“Agent Danvers should be back soon with news,” Dr. Hamilton informed them. “She is looking over Kara’s X-rays and blood samples. Superman has given a substantial amount of blood to Alex. We now have plenty for Kara. Though, Superman apologized for not having spare time to visit.”

“Thank you, Dr. Hamilton,” Maggie said as the Doctor turned and headed out of the room. Maggie’s arms were crossed nervously over her chest, and she was trying to resist the urge to bite her fingernails. Her heart rate slowed as an air of peace settled in the room again. Little Danvers had given her quite a scare there.

Kara closed her eyes for a moment, resting. Her own panic had settled, and she had heard Dr. Hamilton loud and clear. Kara felt her stomach further uncoil and steady as the serum began taking greater effect. She felt exhausted. Tired. As if she had just puked out every bit of energy she had. She even felt sore. Her throat felt sore. On the bright side, the absence of pain allowed her to think more clearly. She wasn’t bogged down by the stinging, burning, or the fire that seemed to be in her leg.

Soon after Kara had closed her eyes, cool drops of moisture touched Kara’s forehead, rousing her from the light sleep she had unwitting slipped into. Opening her eyes, to her surprise, Maggie had retrieved a rag and had taken to wiping down her face. wiping away the dried sweat from her body rejecting everything she had eaten. With another rag, Maggie wiped the front tresses of Kara’s hair. Washing as much vomit as she could form the blonde’s hair.

“Hey, little Danvers, did I wake you?” Maggie asked. Her brown eyes were soft as she looked at the superhero. “By the way, I’m pretty jealous of what type of t-shirt you’re wearing. Those shirts Alex’s owns are the comfiest thing since the invention of bras without the underwire,” Maggie teased and winked at the blonde with a wide smile on her face. Her dimples prominently displaying on her cheeks.

Kara weakly smiled in return and was abruptly distracted when she registered a thumb gently rubbing the back of her hand. Turning her head to the right, she spotted Mon-el in one of the guest chairs. Her hand held by his. The Daxamite’s blue eyes were painted in worry. The worry lines on his forehead seemed to be permanently etched on his forehead. Kara craved to kiss each line away, but she was too exhausted. Her body felt so heavy.

“Hey, Goofus,” said Kara and gave him a small smile.

“Are you feeling better?” Mon-el asked quietly. His eyes meeting hers, searching for an answer.

Something Kara missed was Mon-el’s sense of humor. The seven years apart may have made him a better man, but his sense of humor wasn’t what it used to be. She often found herself missing that part of the lying jackass she had dated in the past.

“Uh, yes, remember I’m Supergirl! I don’t break.” Kara replied trying to lighten the mood of the room. A teasing smile gracing her lips.

“I think your leg would beg to differ on that,” Maggie joined in, eyeing the couple.

* * *

Alex’s mind buzzed when she entered Kara’s private room. Her footsteps were hasty and rushed. As the door closed behind her, she flicked a switch near the door, and the light board in the room lit up. Alex had called everyone beforehand to convene in Kara’s room to tell them the news. There wasn’t much time to waste; Alex wanted to break the news, and then rush her sister into treatment.

“These are Kara’s films from when she was first brought in,” Alex explained as she clipped them to the light board. She clipped two more films to the board. “This one,” Alex pointed to the second film, “is after Kara spent 6 hours under the sunlamps. You can see where the bone was reset.” Alex ran her pointer finger across the white of the tibia on the film.

Maggie, Winn, Mon-el, and J’onn stared at the designated film with puzzlement. Missing the detail for why Alex was pointing it out.

“This one is from an hour ago,” Alex moved on to the next film, pointing to it.

“Are there bone fragments growing?” asked Winn appallingly, his face matching his tone of voice. His face drained of color, and his skin went pale.

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to show you,” Alex said turning around to face them fully. “I did some experiments and it seems that her bones react to being in contact with her blood and other internal body fibers and fluid. Based on the second x-ray, here, after six hours the tibia and fibula healed completely.”

“Alex, I’m lost. Her x-rays look normal except for those white flecks surrounding her bones. I don’t see a break anywhere on the last film,” Maggie stated. Her brows drawn together trying to follow the train of thoughts and where they were going.

“That’s right, her broken leg is completely healed.” Alex turned and motioned to the film, her finger coming to rest on one of numerous big white specs on the film, “This here, is actually a bone fragment. Instead of the fragments returning to the main bone break, they stayed where they rested in her leg. The main portion of the bone simply healed by growing and connecting to the bottom portion of the bones that were still intact.”

“What you’re saying is; Kara has bone fragments stuck in her leg,” Mon-el clarified, concluding where Alex was trying to lead them. His brow was drawn in concentration over his eyes. His lips were pressed together grimly.

“Yes, it’s not as simple as that though,” Alex replied. Her brown eyes during the whole discussion were caked in worry. “If you compare scans number two with scans number three, what do you see?”

The group intently eyed the films, their eyes moving from one to another. It didn’t take very long before one of them figured it out.

“My gosh, Winn is right, the fragments are growing,” J’onn replied. Surprise coloring his face. His crossed arms tightened as he processed what he saw.

Alex nodded in response, “The time under the solar lamps not only healed the main break, but the fragments also absorbed solar energy. Basically, Kara is bleeding internally not only from the fragments being left in her leg but also because the bits of bones are growing. They are tearing up through her muscle. Kara need’s extensive surgery. I’ve already started looking for a surgeon who would be willing to operate.”


End file.
